


A Lexicon of Earth Culture... and other completely useless doo dads

by Chronicles_of_Scout



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alex is a mad scientist kid, Astra tries, College, F/F, Good parents Elia and Jeremiah, Grumpy Aliens, High School, Kara gets a happy ending, Mentioned Maggie, Mentioned Vicki, Mentioned Winn, Mutual Pining, Self-Discovery, Slow Burn, Teenagers, fluffy ending of floof
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-25
Updated: 2019-12-25
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:15:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 18,713
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21856687
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chronicles_of_Scout/pseuds/Chronicles_of_Scout
Summary: Kara comes to Earth only because her parents forced her into a pod and told her to take care of a baby.  A baby who is no longer a baby when she gets there because babies have always sucked.  Now she's stuck on a backwater planet and has to be saved by a weird city girl and her slingshot.The indignity.
Relationships: Alex Danvers/Kara Danvers
Comments: 35
Kudos: 213
Collections: Secret Kalex Santa 2019





	A Lexicon of Earth Culture... and other completely useless doo dads

**Author's Note:**

  * For [intotheGrave](https://archiveofourown.org/users/intotheGrave/gifts).



> Prompt: "Kara as the stoic/angry one *u* (and thus Alex as the “exception to the rule”, the extrovert/kind/soft one)."
> 
> My prompt was fairly simple. Straight forward. A normal person would have just been like, ok: yea. But apparently I needed a reminder that my brain does not work like a normal brain. I have NO idea if I did this right. 
> 
> You said no angst; I think I'm physically incapable of not adding a pinch of hurt in my fics.  
> You said stoic/angry Kara; that translated to grump disconnected Kara?  
> You said kind!Alex; that turned into eccentric and happy and kind of sees the best in everyone Alex?
> 
> I feel like when you're in college and you have to answer that one question and you're not quite sure of the answer but you hope it's 'C' so you wince and press the mouse without looking.
> 
> Good luck to me.

**Goodbye:** _giving someone the ability to take a piece of your heart with them and hoping to Rao that they don’t break it.That they come back._

Sixteen and Eighteen

-

Alex looks different like this, sitting with her arms behind her back, supporting her weight.With the sun setting in the background, and the small brook bubbling along beside them, it’s almost too cliché to sketch the woman before her.But Kara’s can’t deny that the mental snapshot she’s taken won’t be enough to tide her over.Not when Alex is leaving tomorrow.

National City is really far away and, as much as Kara hates it, it has _the_ best bioengineering program in the world.

Alex deserves this.

“When you finally decide to put your artistic skills to use, join Disney or something.But like the Pixar division.Their movies are deeper.”

“Yes, because the adventures of inanimate objects getting their collective inanimate heart’s broken really brings on the tears.”

Alex flicks her.“You _cried_ during Coco.”

“Those were humans.” Kara argues, tracing the curve of Alex’s nose onto her sketchpad.It was an adorably odd nose, and Kara especially liked it when it crinkled in laughter.Like now.“But you should know I’m not going into animation.I just want to stay here.”

“Here is so _boring_ Kara.”

“ _I’m_ boring.”

Beside her Krypto huffs, stirring up the dust on the ground and promptly sneezing thereafter.Kara grins and scratches his ears, his tail thumping happily behind them.

“You could not be boring.You could come to National City with me; I know for a fact you that you could totally ace the high school literacy test!Besides, we live in Texas, there’s basically no laws for homeschooling.”Squinting against the dying light, Alex raises one hand to shield her eyes from the now reddish hue of the sun.Her nails are blackened from the soil, her earlier endeavors to skip rocks having been the sole reason for her dragging Kara out here.3 years later and Alex still had no idea  _how_ to skip rocks.You could take the city girl out of the city but…

“So I can be an animator?”

“You can’t put your life on hold because you’ve become complacent.”Alex scolds, glaring at Kara imperiously.Her hair, pulled back into a terrible impression of a ponytail, has started to fall into her face and she pushes it back impatiently.“You deserve so much more than this.And I’ve seen your work; those alien planets you draw?Those are amazing!You’ve made entire stories come to life from one little picture.Don’t you think you deserve those same adventures you give your characters?”

No.

Because Kara had  _had_ those adventures already.Or at least most of them.Alex knew that the basis of her characters were her dead parents and Astra, but Kara had never fully explained that the stories within were a hundred percent nonfictional.Doing so would have been a blatant admission of being an alien.

Almost all of Alex’s favorite movies painted her as the bad guy.

Something to be killed.

If Alex thought that, the woman who’d become Kara’s home, what would the rest of the world think?

“Alex, I appreciate that you enjoy my art but… they’re just doodles.Those stories aren’t real.”Kara shrugs, “even if I did want to work for a studio, they’d laugh at me.I draw aliens and vampires are what’s hot right now; they’re “sexy” or whatever and teenagers and adults alike swoon in their presence.Girls like guys who can suck the life out of them not aliens.No one likes aliens.”

Alex shrugs carelessly, but her eyes look strange.Intense. Kara quickly grabs her pencils to get the shading correct. “Don’t be so sure.I’m a girl and I like aliens.Might even love them.”

~*~

**_Present Day_ **

** - **

Bolting up right in her bed, Kara clutches her blankets to her chest.Krypto whines next to her, lapping at her cheek and neck to try to soothe his friend.

Kara barely even feels it, the memory from two years ago nearly giving her a heart attack.

“I am such an  _idiot_ .”

~*~

** Handshake ** _: A human expression of greeting.Eye contact, firm grip, two pumps.Any more is very uncool._

Thirteen and Fifteen.

-

The first time she meets Alex Danvers, Kara is tending to the fences.

She’s thirteen years old and her Aunt has entrusted her with a cart of wood and wire, the hammer and nails tucked into the bag at her side.

For most people, having a child perform a fence repair without supervision seems like a massive headache waiting to happen.Astra’s never put much stock in what other people do, and, to be fair, other people aren’t refugees from the planet Krypton imbued with enhanced strength and durability from earth’s yellow sun.Amongst other things.

So she’s got a piece of wood balanced in one hand as she lays it diagonally along the gaping hole in the fence and starts hammering.One end has just been secured when she hears something buzz by her ear.She slaps her hand over the offended sensor, blinking angrily at the nothingness before her.

As the Scion to the House of El, she’s no stranger to attempts on her life.Particularly towards those last days on Krypton.If something wants to attack her then it can—

Something zips passed her face and she yelps, jumping backwards and clutching the hammer tighter in her hand.Whatever it was had been fast but not quick enough that Kara hadn’t seen how _big_ it was.And how gross.The thing had large wings, spread wide and loud and making it seem even bigger than it probably was.Even so, it was at least the size of her palm and she did _not_ like it.

It zips by her again and she hurriedly stumbles back.

There was no way her parents had sent her to Earth for _this._ Astra could fix her own stupid fence and—

When it makes another pass, this time following Kara as she tries to flee, Krypto attempts to help by jumping on Kara’s shoulders and barking.Right into her ear.

And Kara’s only been on this planet for a few months now, her abilities have been hard to control on her good days but this, the buzzing and the barking and the sense of doom?

She’s more than a little overwhelmed.Kara may not need to breathe as often as humans but it’s still a requirement and right now, with the way her chest is constricting, air is becoming a very real concern.

A sharp _thwack_ penetrates the air and the sounds that had been sending her into what Astra refers to as a panic attack, cease.

Just like that.

It takes a moment for her to come back to herself but when she does, there’s a girl standing next to her with the dead insect held up close to her face.

Enter Alex Danvers.

And a slingshot.

“A spider wasp.” Alex comments clearly impressed with her kill.“I’ve never seen one this big.They’re nasty little buggers.You should feel lucky it didn’t eat your brain.”

“They _do_ that?”

“Nah.I’m just teasing.” A happy chuckle escapes the brunette as she waves away the very real concern.“They’re only dangerous if you’re like, a tarantula.I’m Alex.”Alex holds out her hand, smiling bemusedly when Kara stares at it in confusion.“You don’t do handshakes down here?”

Handshakes.Kara had learned about those in her pod.

Kara coughs into her fist and shakes her head, gently clasping Alex’s hand in her own and giving two solid pumps.Three was too much; made you seem desperate and unprofessional.“No ma’am we do; I was just startled is all.”

“Ma’am?Is that the southern hospitality I’ve heard so much about?”Alex smiles and drops the dead bug into a mason jar that she pulls from her pants pocket.“We’re from up north but Mom got a cushy research job out here so me and dad transferred to support her… how old are you?What’s your name?”

That’s a lot of questions.And a lot more talking than Kara’s used to but it’d be rude not to answer them.Especially seeing as Alex went out of her way to rescue her and all.

“I’m not sure ma’am it’s just manners, I think.And I’m thirteen; I’ll be fourteen in May.My name is Kara Zorel… ma’am.”

“That’s only two months away!”Alex is also particularly excitable.“And please just call me Alex.The ma’am stuff is really cute and so’s the accent, but I think I’d get bored of it after a while.”

“Umm… yes ma’am.”

Alex laughs.

“And Zorel… Zor—that sounds Croatian.My dad and I are a little obsessed with languages and ancient cultures or civilizations.Do you know if you have any family in that region?”

No.No, she does not.All of her family is dead.

Except Astra.

And Kal, she guesses, but honestly, she’s only seen him once and he doesn’t seem particularly keen on having anything to do with her.Something about safety.

Rubbing a hand over her chest, Kara shakes her head.

“That’s too bad.A lot of people have no idea where they came from because of lost family trees and such.”Alex grins at her and shrugs, making a wide gesture at the fence.“Can I help you here?”

In truth letting Alex help will probably slow her down but saying no would be rude so Kara nods.They fill the work with small talk, Alex asking questions and Kara dutifully answering.

Luckily, it’s mostly harmless stuff.Where does she go to school—she doesn’t.She’s being homeschooled by her ship’s AI until she has complete control over her powers.She of course explains to Alex that Astra sets her lesson plans and she does them on the computer.

What about friends, Alex asks but Kara’s already decided that she doesn’t like people.Alex retorts by saying Kara is too young to be so grumpy.Kara retorts by saying that as young as she is, it doesn’t change the fact that humans are Neanderthals.Alex gives her a funny look, so she adds on that she doesn’t like the way people smell and leaves it at that.

On the other hand, Kara learns that Alex is fifteen, two years older than her and really into science.She babbles on about some theory that she and her dad are working out that has to do with particle fusion, a new way to safely store and utilize renewable energy sources.

It’s very rudimentary in Kara’s opinion but again, it would be rude of her to say so she keeps quiet.Besides, Astra wouldn’t be pleased if she revealed herself to a human child.

By the time they finish it’s almost four and Kara’s stomach is rumbling with hunger.

“Do you want to come over for dinner?”Alex offers, “you can bring your aunt.My dad’s cooking otherwise I wouldn’t offer.Mom is terrible in the kitchen.”

“No but thank you for the offer.”

Alex grins and hops the fence again, pointing at Kara as she walks backwards towards her own house.“It’s an open offer Zorel.We’re going to be good friends you and I.”

~*~

**_Present Day_ **

**-**

Realistically, Kara has no idea why she’s throwing on her clothes.Having a revelation in the middle of the night about Alex’s possible feelings shouldn’t hold any sway over her own decisions.Alex had left for school nearly two years ago and Kara had let her go.

They’d kept in touch of course, and Alex still visited for the holidays but now that Kara knows that they could have been _more_?That Alex’s offer to come with her had been more than an offer to come _with_ her?!How could she have possibly been so dense?

Paws land heavily on her legs before bouncing off, Krypto eager to go off on whatever adventure his mistress was seeking.Of the two of them, he was the more lively.

And the more intelligent.

“Get your shirt Krypto,” Kara orders, hastily tying the knot of her sneakers. “It’s cold out.”

~*~

**Adolescence** : _The period of time in which boys become very smelly and girls have their uteri ripped out through their vaginas._

Fourteen and Sixteen.

-

Kara had been hoping for a growth spurt when her birthday comes around, what she gets is a period.That’s all.

All the years leading up to this pivotal moment, Kara had hoped and prayed that her Kryptonian genetics would keep such archaic processes away from her body.Apparently, having a yellow sun has awoken some of her more unnecessary characteristics.

“Are you _sure_ there’s nothing I can do?”Astra asks, stroking a hand over Kara’s hair.

Kara nods, curled into a ball on the sofa.

It’s odd being on Earth for a birthday.This isn’t the first time she’s aged on another planet, but this feels more permanent, especially since she knows she can’t go back to Krypton even if she wanted to.Sulking is hardly the way one should go about behaving on one’s birthday.There were lessons to be recited and, given that it was now her fourteenth year, a guild to pledge herself to.

But Astra was dishonored and so could not receive Kara’s recitation.Kal could have but he hadn’t responded to Kara’s phone calls.On Krypton, she’d had her heart set on the Science guild and working with her father and uncle but there were no more guilds.

This day is pointless.

“The good thing,” Astra says, moving to collect the dirty dishes of their lunch from the coffee table.“Is that it won’t last long.Artax assures me that even though you will have a cycle, it should only last for two to three days and come twice a year. That’s something right?”

“Can we watch cartoons?”Kara asks, voice a tad gravelly from disuse.“I wanted to show you this show called Avatar.Some of their teachings are similar to Krypton.”

Astra hums, handing Kara the remote, and then the sound of running water comes from the kitchen.Kara allows it to lull her into a sort of trance, not quite sleeping but not quite awake.The remote hangs perilously from her fingers, dipping over the couch.While she had wanted to watch cartoons, she finds the effort of lifting her hand to be far too great an ask.

Menstruation truly is a punishment akin to nothing else and all Kara has the energy to do is wallow.It’s lucky that it’s just her and Astra, she’d be mortified if anyone else were to see her downfall.

Which is probably why she’s not at all surprised to see Alex standing over her with a white box that she carefully sets on the table.

The universe, does after all, hate her.

“Poor kid.”Alex mutters, stooping down and pressing a hand to Kara’s forehead.“Did you try some Tylenol?”

“Yes.” Kara answers automatically, well aware that human medication would do nothing for her.“It’s not working.”

She and Alex had seen each other pretty regularly these past two months and Kara had even introduced her to Astra when they’d all been out in the field. Astra had taken one look at the human and demanded that Kara befriend her.

“You need to learn about them if you are to survive here.”Astra had insisted as she’d combed through Kara’s thick hair that night, “she is a willing human.I find them hard to come by.”

Teeth grit against the rather rough treatment her scalp was getting, Kara replies acerbically.“Maybe it’s your winning personality.Everyone sees you and just knows that they should bow in your presence.”

She’d received a decidedly hard yank for her troubles.

However, Astra’s advice had been sound and so the two girls had formed a somewhat odd friendship.Alex talked nonstop, usually about her experiments and her dad, and Kara listened.The more she got to know Alex, the more she thinks that no one actually listens to her.It’s the only reason she can come up with for someone who likes to speak so much.Otherwise, she imagines Alex would get quite exhausted.

As another odd bonus, Alex liked to stop by after school to check on Kara.Apparently, homeschooled children were at risk for not having any social skills when they grew up.Kara thought it was a pretty lame excuse since there were plenty of homeschooled kids who were social geniuses, but she’d chosen to hold her tongue.It didn’t really matter why Alex kept popping up, she kind of liked having her around.

And it gave her a chance to practice being human.As was the purpose of this relationship.

“Hmph.Well then let’s try some good old Eastern methods yeah?”

Astra watches with an amused look on her face as Alex reaches into her bag and pulls out a handful of hospital gloves.

“I need them for my experiments.”Alex claims nonchalantly, striding over to the sink in the kitchen.The water sounds again and then footsteps signal Alex’s return.“Ok, these should help.Scoot.”

Kara doesn’t much feel like “scooching” anywhere, but Alex has a glove balloon of water in either hand and she really doesn’t want to have to clean that up if she drops them.

So she scooches and Alex slides onto the couch under her, pulling Kara’s torso back down to her lap.

“Here, my mom does this for me when my cramps are bad.”With a surprisingly gentle touch, Alex lays a hot water balloon over Kara’s tense stomach muscles.Even more surprising is that her method works and, slowly, Kara relaxes.

“Better?”

“Much.”Kara replies, shivering a bit when Alex places the other glove on the small of her back.“Thank you.My family doesn’t really have a history of… cramps.”

“Lucky.I feel like ripping out my uterus every month.Bad luck for you though… chocolate helps.”

“Really?”The hormones in her body are calling on her to nest, to bury herself in blankets and comfort.That’s the only reason Kara can think of that Alex starting to play with her hair doesn’t weird her out.In fact, she leans into the touch.“I love chocolate.”

“Well now you have an excuse to eat as much of it as you want.”Alex chirps, leaning forward slightly and tipping the lid off the box she’d brought to reveal a chocolate cake inside.The words ‘Happy Birthday’ are scrawled in blue icing over the frosting and Kara tilts her head in confusion.“It’s a birthday cake you weirdo.You don’t have birthday cakes?”

“Yes… we do…”

Alex rolls her eyes, “it’s to celebrate your birthday you goofus.”

“Celebrate… why?It’s a yearly occurrence, it will come again.”

“Well yeah but this is to celebrate that you’re alive, I guess.That you made it another year without dying.I mean it _is_ kind of morbid when you think about it but—Kara?”

Sniffling Kara swipes a hand under her nose, unsure as to why it’s so difficult for her to control her emotions _now_.Hormones, her brain whispers helpfully, your body is now a nesting ground for unnecessary hormones.

“Woah, hey.”Alex says, clearly alarmed and wiggling out from under Kara’s head.Weirdly Kara kind of feels abandoned until Alex returns with a set of spoons and Astra.

“Kara’s parents perished in a fire a few months ago.”Astra says, eyes sympathetic as she pushes the coffee table closer to the couch once Alex has resumed her seat.“Birthdays may be a sensitive subject for the moment.”

“Oh.” Alex says, clearly at a loss as to what to do.Finally, her mouth firms and she nudges Kara into a sitting position before pulling the box onto her lap.“Chocolate probably won’t fix that, but it should still help.Wanna try?”

That sounds like a splendid idea.

~*~

**_Present Day_ **

**-**

“Astra.”Kara hisses, leaning over her aunt’s bed and poking her with a finger.“Aunt Astra, I need to take the truck.”

Astra groans.

“Aunt Astra _please_ it’s an emergency!”

Astra grabs her finger before it can poke her again.“It is barely three ante meridiem.Why in Rao’s name must you assault me?”

Kara blinks at her; “I just realized that Alex might love me.”

Emitting another groan Astra slaps a hand to her forehead and rolls over, releasing Kara’s hand in the process.“Now?You realize this now?”

“Well I had a dream and—wait you _knew?_ ”

“Niece, I am fairly certain that everyone knew _except_ you.”

“Why didn’t you _say_ anything?”

“We did.Multiple times.”

Grumbling, Kara crosses her arms over her chest and scowls.She had accepted that she had been dense in that _one_ instance but now she’s feeling particularly ridiculous since everyone seems to have known what a spaz she was but herself.

“Well I’m going to go get her!I’m going to tell her how I feel and bring her back here and—”

“You will do no such thing!”Astra lurches up, squinting at Kara in disdain.“That girl is on her way to achieving all of her dreams.Why would you wish to stop her?”

“I—” Kara falters, shakes her head.“No, I just—"

“If you’re going to go disrupt her world than you had better be damn sure that you have a plan in place Kara Zor-El.I will not allow you to break your own heart.”

“You don’t… think I should tell her?”Kara asks, eyes suddenly hyper focused on the floor beneath her sneakers.The wood is scuffed and well-worn, but Astra says that gives it ‘character’.

“I think you should have told her years ago but what you’re planning right now?Bringing her back here to this backwater town?That’s selfish.”

“But… this is where I live.”

“You are not a tree.”Astra snarks, slumping back into bed and fluffing her pillow.“You can easily move.”

_Move?!_

For some reason, it doesn’t feel very easy.

~*~

**Experiments:** _The weird actionable items humans take to prove their rather archaic hypotheses.Usually performed with very little regard to their own safety._

Fourteen and Sixteen

-

Kara’s on the porch reading a book on human cults when the sound of an explosion cuts through the peaceful silence.Looking up she can see a small plumage of smoke rising in the distance, the yellowed fields of tall grass that separate her from the blast not giving any clue as to the circumstances.The direction though, and Kara’s own enhanced vision, makes a rather uncomfortable sensation settle in her gut.That looked like it had come from Alex’s house.

Krypto whines next to her and she shares a worried look with her friend.

Alex had said they were friends.

And smoke usually meant fire.

They’re both up and running in the next second, traveling at speeds just slightly above humans.The current anxiety of worrying over Alex blocking their usual concerns about secrecy.

When she reaches Alex’s house, Kara can see that there’s still smoke coming from the back, two cellar doors laying parallel to the ground flung open to release the affected air.Below, Kara can hear the sounds of coughing and quickens her steps.

“Alex?”She calls, peering into the darkened room as she places her foot on the first step.“Alex are you—gah!”

“Don’t come down here you goofus!”Alex exclaims, pushing her back out.“It’s dangerous.We’re building a nuclear jetpack.”

The words enter Kara’s mind, but she doesn’t quite understand them.According to her ship’s AI humans are decades away from that sort of technology and Alex was only sixteen.And she was dressed weird.Her hair is pushed back by a pair of clear goggles high up on her head, and she’s got a heavily stained white coat on that reaches to her jean clad knees.She looks like one of those mad scientists that Kara had seen on tv.She had thought such attire to be a satirical representation of a costume!

Behind her, an older man also emerges, waving a towel around and coughing into his arm.“We almost had it honey; I think if we slow the heating process, we won’t blow it up next time.Start testing by adding 5.6 seconds to the clock.”Something shudders inside the cellar, a large clanking sound echoing followed by the sound of spraying water.“Um after, the sprinkler system has done its job.”

“Sure thing Dad.”Alex beams, moving Kara further away from the entrance.Her smile widens when she sees Krypto and she stoops to the ground to hug him.“Hey buddy!How are you?How’s the goodest boy?”

Slightly alarmed at this whole debacle, Kara chooses to dispute the simpler offense and pull Krypto back and away from Alex.“Why do you sound like that?You’re scaring him.”

“Really?He doesn’t seem very scared.”

As if to prove her point, Krypto wiggles out of Kara’s hold and snuggles back into Alex, licking her cheeks and neck.

“Don’t feel too badly,” Alex’s father offers, holding out his hand to Kara.“Alex has that effect on lots of animals.She’s been begging for a dog for years, but I’m afraid my wife is allergic.”

“Oh.”Kara says because she’s not quite sure what else to say.“I’m sorry to hear that sir.”

Chuckling, the man who resembles Alex so much they couldn’t be anything but related, waves off her apology.“Eliza is fine with it I assure you.I’m Jeremiah, I’m sorry that my daughter doesn’t have as great manners as you clearly do.”

Kara blushes and shrugs, finding her shoestrings interesting all of a sudden.

“Dad that’s Kara, Kara that’s my dad.”Alex grins at them both, still playfully scratching at Krypton’s scruff and giggling when he thumps his tail enthusiastically.“There; introduced.”

“I’m going to run inside and get some trash bags.”Jeremiah says, pointing a warning finger at Alex.“We need to clean this up before your mother gets home.She told me to use a chemical reaction instead of a nuclear one, so I didn’t blow up the city.I’ll never hear the end of it if she finds out I didn’t listen.”

“Sure dad.”Alex agrees, giving Krypto one last pat before standing and joining them, “but can I just suggest that we _do_ try the chemical reaction next time?The nuclear part was fun, but it was kind of scary when it went bonkers.”

Jeremiah gives his daughter an affectionate smile, ruffling her hair and nodding.“You’re right as usual.Ok.We clean up and the set up for a chemical test.”

He walks away muttering to himself, his math surprisingly sound for a human.Maybe they weren’t as helpless as the AI had made them sound.

“So…” Alex starts with a teasing smirk.“You ran all the way over here to check on little ole me.I do say, I’ve never felt so honored in my life.My own personal knight in shining armor.”

“What?”Sometimes Alex said such weird things and then laughed at Kara like _she_ was the crazy one.

“You know, like the hero that rescues the helpless damsel?Riding in on his white steed and making all the girls swoon?”

Kara had never heard of such a thing and she was also very clearly not a male.Maybe Alex had breathed in a few too many nuclear fumes?

“Um… you don’t seem very helpless and I don’t have a white steed.”

“You have Krypto.”Krypto barks his agreement, rolling over on his back for belly rubs.Alex shakes her head fondly but doesn’t stoop back down.

“I can’t ride Krypto anywhere.”Well, she might be able to but that would be very rude.“And I don’t want any girls to… _swoon._ ”

“Never mind,” her friend chuckles, a dismissive hand cutting through the air. “Do you want to help us build rockets?”

Kara thinks back to her abandoned book of cults, thinks to all of the time she’s spent reading alone since she’d come to earth.What could it hurt?Watching how humans slowly entered the Science age?Maybe she could even sneak in a few pointers.

“Sure.”

~*~

**_Present Day_ **

**-**

It takes Kara a few minutes to process what Astra had said which sets her trip back a lot longer than she would like.It’s worth it though; if it saves Alex any kind of heartache, Kara is more than happy to commit to it.And thinking things through never hurt anyone right?

She just has to do it quickly because there’s an irrational fear that the longer she delays the closer Alex gets to bonding with someone else.

Kara’s already wasted literal years where she could have been courting Alex and now…

Now she needs to find out why leaving Midvale isn’t so easy.

Why does Alex need to come back here?

At first, she thinks she just doesn’t want to live in a city but…

If she’s honest with herself, really and truly honest, it’s not about her at all.She’d gladly adjust to any discomfort if Alex asked her to but, leaving Astra…

“What are you gonna do all alone?”She asks the pillow covered head, ignoring the long suffering groan Astra gives her.“How are you gonna—who’s going to look after you?”

“I have been looking after myself just fine Little One.May I remind you that I am your senior?”

“You forget to lock up at night.”Kara says softly, sitting on the edge of the bed and laying a hand on what she believes is Astra’s calf.

“I am an alien with enhanced abilities on a planet of morons.I think I’ll survive.”

“You’re not a very good cook.”

“Neither are you.”

“I… won’t forgive myself if something happens to you.”Kara admits, voice almost a whisper.

Astra sighs and pulls her pillow down, giving Kara her full attention.“Nor I you Little One, but we cannot live our lives fearing the inevitability of death.I trust you to take care of yourself for my sake; can you give me the same courtesy?”

Nodding, Kara gulps down the fear in her throat.Astra’s always had a way of making her want to be brave.“Yes.”

“Good.The truck needs gas.”Astra continues resuming her sleepy disposition. Her arm flops to her side and points halfheartedly at her bedside drawer.“Take some cash from my wallet.At least $100 Kara, don’t be a fool.”

“You’re just going to let me go?Not even a lecture about the dangerous Earth fauna?Nothing?”

“Hmm, yes.There is one thing.Make sure you tell Alex that you return her affections and, if you get arrested, I don’t know you.”

Rolling her eyes, Kara gives her aunt one last affectionate squeeze.“If I get arrested, I’m expecting you to take care of Krypto.He only likes to eat mixed food and it needs to be warm.”Krypto barks his agreement and Kara digs the money out of Astra’s drawer.Quickly pressing a kiss to her aunt’s forehead, she backs out of the room.“I’m taking him with me, so you’ll need to pick him up.”

“I’ll be in space.”

“I love you; don’t miss me too much.”

She can fly back, Kara decides as she runs down the stairs.She’s a super powered being with powers of flight.If she ever needs to check on Astra, she can just fly back in less than fifteen minutes.

“I’ll send your things to NCU!”

They’re family and Astra will be fine.

She’ll be fine.

~*~

**Friendship:** _precautionary relationship wherein two or more individuals are expected to share backstories, common interests and, rather strangely, food._

Fourteen and Sixteen

-

“Boo!”Alex yells, running up behind Kara and grabbing her shoulders.

Of course, Kara doesn’t react in the way she wants since she had heard the completely non stealthy human from miles away.Especially since most humans were meant to be at work or at school.

“I’m truly terrified of your tiny ineffectual human body.”Although she doesn’t turn away from what she’s doing, Kara can still imagine the scowl that would take over Alex’s face.Her counterpart is not at all pleased that Kara had hit her growth spurt.

“Hey!Watch it!I’m still taller than you and I _will_ make you pay.”

“Still terrified.”

Honestly speaking, there is very little that Alex can do that would harm her.Her cousin had informed Astra of a rock that could cause them pain and even, if left exposed for too long, death but he had assured them both that he had a handle on all of the supplies.So, being afraid of Alex was kind of silly.

That Alex thought she would be afraid of her was even sillier.Alex may have her slingshot, but she was the softest puddle Kara had ever seen.All she cared about were her experiments and—

Kara spins, nostrils flaring as the scent of pot stickers hits her nose.She tilts her head curiously, eyeing the bag in Alex’s hand with renewed interest.

“What is that?”

“What is _that_?”Alex rebuts, motioning to the notebook in Kara’s hand.

“My sketchpad.”

Alex gives her a considering look.“Then I’ll trade you.Me and Dad drove into the city for the _good_ Chinese food.I brought you back some pot stickers but now I’m thinking I should trade them for a peek into your brain.Seems fair.”

“How is that fair?”All things considered, Kara doesn’t really want to show Alex her drawings.For one thing, she’s not nearly as talented as the artists she’s seen in the museums Astra has taken her too.And for another, everything she does draw, leads back to Krypton.It’s personal.

“I don’t know.”Alex shrugs, “but we’ve been friends for more than a year now and you never even mentioned that you liked to draw.I barely know anything about you; it’s like pulling teeth trying to get you to talk.”

Kara blinks, lips thinning as she takes that in.It’s not like Alex was wrong but that had more to do with keeping her secret than anything else.And besides, Kara just wasn’t that interesting.

Alex had her science and her theories that Kara, once Kara had stopped sticking her nose in the air, had actually found interesting and fun.She could listen to the human go on about her work all day.Comparatively, Kara had absolutely nothing like that to share.

The only thing of import to her had been Krypton and that was a closed door.

“See?”Alex prompts, gesturing at Kara when she remains silent.“You never give me anything.And it’s cool.You don’t like to talk, and I respect that, but I think if I could see what you draw, at least I could see a part of you.”

Closed door.

Pot stickers.

Closed door.

Pot Stickers.

“You can look only if you promise not to ask me any questions about it.I can share if I want to, but you can’t talk about it otherwise.To me or anyone else.Deal?”

“Deal.”Alex quickly agrees, holding out her hand for the notebook.

When Kara hands it over, she squeals in excitement and passes the bag of pot stickers over.

There are _three_ containers of them and, were she another person, Kara would have also squealed.As it is, she is still the Scion of a Great House and she will act accordingly.Plus, Alex had explained to her what “cool” was and Kara had found herself gravitating towards the idea when they’d watched Iron Fist.Colleen Wing was the epitome of cool.

“Kara,” Alex breathes when Kara’s made her way onto her second container.“These are… you _did_ all of these?”

“Yep.”

“These are… Kara these are amazing.”Alex flips a page, her hand caressing the sides of the colored picture reverently.“Is this a story book?”

Yes.Yes, it is.A memory of her mother actually and the time they’d gone to the Hemenear festival. Alura had let Kara ride on the back of a Tauntaun, a rather large hairy creature that most resembled one of earth’s quadruped dinosaurs.

“We agreed no questions.”

“Right.”Alex mumbles still focused on the book.“Right.”

Kara watches her, watches the way her brow furrows and the way her lips move as if she _is_ reading words even though Kara has added none.The small bite of heat from the pot sticker in her mouth gives her pause.Alex had gone out of her way to get Kara food.A ritual offered to one’s intended mate.Not that Alex had any way of knowing that but still… Alex is a caretaker at heart, curious to a fault, and completely and utterly kind to Kara.

It wasn’t fair that Kara hadn’t really been returning that kindness, or the level of trust, that Alex had bestowed upon her.Even on Krypton, friendship had never been about competition but reciprocation.If they are to be friends, real friends, maybe Kara can give a little.

“It’s my mother.I was very little, so I don’t remember everything, and I wanted to write it all down before I forgot.”

Alex’s eyes widen but she doesn’t look up.Kara does see the brunette’s fingers stiffen, curling in just so before going slack against the notebook again.

“They’re beautiful Kara, thank you for sharing this with me.”

~*~

**Boys:** _people who identify as the male gender of human who normally, not always, get a bad rap.7/10 would recommend._

Fifteen and Seventeen

-

Some people might have found it weird that in all the time that Kara and Alex had been friends, Kara and Alex had never actually spoke about relationships.Or more accurately, they had never talked about any people they liked.

Kara knows she hadn’t because well… homeschool.

Also, she sometimes found it difficult at times to not look at humans and just feel pity.They were grossly incompetent in their rather primitive mannerisms and base of knowledge and seemed to have very little desire to improve themselves.Most of the time Kara interacted with them, they were very into “living in the moment”, which Kara had come to learn meant spending obscene amounts of money on temporary gratification.

She had also learned that this sort of behavior took place no matter what the social status of the individual was, but that the wealthier class still somehow looked down at the poorer class for wanting the same things.As if the basest human desires could be changed simply by imaginary numbers on a computer screen.

Alex too paid way too much attention to the finances of her House but over time Kara had come to learn that as Krypton had had Great Houses based upon genetics and great discoveries, Earth had them based on wealth.

Alex did not fall into the status of a Great House and so would need to marry up or remain at her station.It’s something that Kara had thought about but never really spoke about.And since Alex didn’t bring it up, Kara was content to not think about it.She’d grudgingly grown rather fond of the human and for some reason, the idea of her joining another House made Kara’s stomach turn.

It was only after hours of introspection and speaking to her mother’s AI that had been secured in her pod that she understood her feelings.

She didn’t look at Alex with pity.Alex was not caught up in a constant game of manipulation and pettiness.Alex, unlike many of her peers, was focused on taking humanity to greater heights.Zor-El would have adored her human friend’s passion for science.Her uncle too.

And Alex’s unwavering sense of justice would have pleased Alura to no end; even if her human liked to bend the rules a bit too much for Alura to fully accept her.That’s where Astra’s approval of Alex’s troublemaking ways would have balanced out the most important people in Kara’s life.

It’s where it balanced out _her_ life.

Alex filled the little spaces inside of her that she hadn’t ever believed could be filled again.By no means had Alex replaced her family, but she’d made it easier to manage the pain of their loss.

It had admittedly been embarrassing to realize that she’d come to care for the human, the House of El was not known to go below their stations, but it had been even more jarring to realize that she wouldn’t be.Even if they had been considered compatible by the Matricomp, Alex’s house would have been well above Kara’s on Earth.Alex had a future, was already making huge strides towards greatness, and Kara was… a farm hand.

A homeschooled farm hand with absolutely zero social skills or even any real desire to perform in normal society.Astra’s goal had been for them to be able to live as apart from humans as possible; away from their noises and their smells and their rather ostentatious need to be saved all the time.She had succeeded mostly since the only thing Kara had been interested in after that was the food but… Alex _was_ interested in that.

Alex wanted to go to college in National City, a metropolis that Kara would feel very out of place in.It would be a nightmare.

Not talking about relationships on her end, was Kara’s own defense mechanisms of shoving her blooming feelings into a box and sealing it with the strongest Ugarian glue imaginable.

Alex not talking about _her_ relationships… Kara had just kind of assumed she hadn’t been having any.

After all, Alex never smelled any different and she spent almost all of her free time with Kara or at home.She wouldn’t have had time, Kara told herself.

She told herself that all the way up to the moment Alex had climbed up the side of her house and nearly put her fist through Kara’s window, she’d banged on it so hard.Alex was a feeling person, any emotion that wasn’t positive was held tight to her chest until she was in the presence of trusted company or alone.It wasn’t exactly a surprise that she’d risked injury to seek out Kara’s comfort.

What was a surprise was that she was damn near hyperventilating, that her eyes and nose were irritated and red and full of tears and snot.She clambers through the window with all the urgency of a puppy and all the grace of a newborn foal.Luckily Kara has her super strength and can withstand the whirlwind of limbs that come at her, catching Alex against her chest as the older girl breaks down into tears.From how hard she’s sobbing Kara can guess that she’s been holding whatever this is in for a while.

Pulling Alex closer, Kara gently cups the back of her head and shushes her.It’s something she’d seen Alex’s mother Eliza do to Jeremiah when they’d gotten word that his mother had died.She mimics the human embrace now, certain that whatever had transpired had to be something of dire consequences.

She doesn’t ask though.

Instead she bends so she can wrap an arm under Alex’s bent knees and scoop her up.Still crying, Alex only buries her face harder in Kara’s neck and allows herself to be carried over to the bed.When Kara sits, still cradling Alex against her chest, the brunette whimpers and tightens her hold on Kara’s shoulders.Like she’s afraid Kara would let her go.

Like that’s even a possibility.

It isn’t but Kara forces herself to be patient, lets Alex feel her emotions in peace.It’s not something Kara herself is used to.On Krypton they’d been taught to pace themselves emotionally.Feeling too much at once was hardly ever good for one’s health.When she and Astra had landed on Earth, they’d found that the yellow sun exacerbated some of their more volatile emotions, but they’d learned how to control that as well.

The warrior exercises that Astra taught her never failed to bring her a sense of calm.Maybe she could teach them to Alex; help her cope with any future devastation. After all, if Kara could learn to endure the loss of her entire planet, she was sure that Alex, who had proven to be a much better person than her, could survive with anything.

Her high opinion is squandered when Alex calms down enough to explain what had happened.

Even though it’s not much of an explanation.

Just a one liner from which Kara can surmise a million different events.

It’s only when Kara’s got Alex on her bed, cuddled close with her head on Kara’s shoulder that she speaks.Alex sniffles first, wiping at her face and pulling Kara’s arm tighter around her waist before mumbling in the emptiest voice Kara had ever heard, “boys suck.”

Kara doesn’t agree.Kara has recently made a friend named Winn in one of her online college classes that she thinks very highly of.It had been a split second decision to enroll in program but there’s a small part of her that thinks she’ll need to elevate her station if she’s to find love here.Winn had sort of taken her under his wing when Kara had committed a social blunder that had the rest of the class giving her a wide berth.They’d become fast friends and Kara found him to be amusing and kind and so she cannot in good faith concur with Alex’s conclusion.She’s wise enough not to voice that and instead focus on _why_ Alex would be saying such a thing.

Thankfully Kara’s pod had been teaching her about humans for years now, about their mating habits and maturity patterns.Alex was obviously at the age where she would be choosing a mate.Apparently, if this disappointment is anything to go by, her first run at it hadn’t been very successful.It makes Kara’s blood boil to think of it; to think that anyone would think Alex deficient and not try their absolute hardest to bond with her.

For so long Kara had told herself that it had been because logically, Alex had all the qualities one would want in a mate.On paper she was perfect.

It’s not until she’s sitting there, faced with the very real possibility that Alex would soon belong to someone else and be bonded to their House, that Kara realizes that there’s nothing logical about her feelings at all.This isn’t something she can pace or filter out.

For a long time, Kara had been convinced that Earth could never be her home.As she holds Alex’s trembling form in her arms, she realizes that she was right.Earth would never be her home.And Alex could never be anything but.

~*~

**_Present Day_ **

**-**

Kara watches the numbers rapidly increase as she fills the gas tank of the truck.Krypto’s got his head out of his window and there are a few kids who are “oohing” and “aahing” over him.Unlike Kara, Krypto basks in all of the attention her receives, preening like a peacock under his worshippers.

If only they knew that this was the same dog who’d gotten his head stuck in a bucket of pretzels.

Sighing, Kara glances distractedly at her phone.She’s been wondering if she should text Alex; warn her but… in all of earth’s movies it usually lauded better results to surprise the person.

It was supposed to be romantic or whatever and Alex had called Kara her Knight in shining armor.Knight’s never announced their rescues they just rescued.

Not that Kara was really rescuing Alex _from_ anything it was just—

Rao this was confusing.

The nozzle clicks and Kara comes back to the present, tapping the metal tip against the side of the tank to prevent drippage before extracting the nozzle completely.She’s back in the car and sharing a contemplative look with Krypto in the span of a few seconds, her dog lowering his head and nudging her with his nose.

Right.

Element of surprise it is.

Maybe Kara should get some flowers.

~*~

**Make out** _\- Passionate kissing for an extended period of time_.

Sixteen and (almost) Eighteen

-

Alex is almost eighteen when things take a weird turn.They’re in Kara’s bedroom because Alex’s is a complete mess.

For very good reasons, Kara has only been in there a handful of times and she remembers them all very vividly.The first time she’d gone, she hadn’t even known Alex was in the room it was so cluttered.There were _things_ literally everywhere and Kara had been very tempted to float so that she didn’t break anything.The brunette had experiments e _verywhere;_ half grown bacteria loitering in petri dishes, chemicals in carefully labeled test tubes, and stacks upon stacks of notebooks.

And then Alex had popped up from literally nowhere, taking ten years off of Kara’s life and grinning maniacally as she holds up a test tube.She’d been back in her mad scientist garb complete with yellow rubber kitchen gloves, and an excitement that was infectious.

“I did a thing!”Alex said excitedly, coming from around a chair covered in clothes.“You know how diabetes is like one of the most prominent diseases, but the treatment options are just like abysmal?”

No, Kara did not know.“Totally.”

“Well what if we could—”

She’s interrupted by the sound of a whirring motor and a robotic voice.“Help me Alex Danvers; help me.”

“Crud.”Alex mumbles, spinning this way and that.“You wouldn’t happen to have seen a Roomba around would you?Black pancake looking thing?”

Bewildered by the entire experience, Kara uses her enhanced vision to spot it and point it out to her friend.She gets a kiss on the cheek for her efforts and feels her face burn at the intimacy.

“This is Obi.”Alex declares as she rights the small robot, patting it gently before sending it back off to war.“I named him that because he’s my room’s last hope.”She giggles and returns to Kara shaking her head at her own joke.“Get it?God, classic.Wanna go make sandwiches?”

“I like when you get excited.”Kara says instead of answering, shocking them both.“You look… it’s like there’s a light that’s gone off in your head and it shines through your whole body.It’s pretty.”

Alex’s mouth drops and she blushes, scuffing a socked foot on the floor as she mumbles a “thanks.”

Then she’s grabbing Kara’s hand and dragging her out of the room.“Come on, I wanna tell my parent’s what Obi and I made.”

Kara had smiled and followed her, content to realize that Alex is the human embodiment of the lightbulb meme and it brings Kara endless joy.

Alex; not the memes.She’s still trying to figure out how to get Winn to stop sending her memes since she’s already viewed the millions available.Downside of having a super-fast brain and impeccable recall.

On that day specifically, Alex had apparently created an insulin monitor that could be worn as a watch.She’d spent hours reviewing the details with Kara and her parents, excited beyond measure at this breakthrough.Of course, when she’d offered to show them how it worked, they’d all forced her to exhibit her work downstairs since no one wanted to brave the wreck she called a bedroom.

Alex hadn’t even defended herself, way too focused on her findings.Kara was pretty sure that Alex’s next invention would be an upgrade on her cleaning bot.There was simply no way anyone could live like that forever.

Jeremiah said it was a mark of genius; Eliza said it was the first step to a life of singledom.

They’d resigned themselves to the chaos long ago.

Kara on the other hand had grown very used to robots cleaning her room automatically on Krypton.Having even a spec of dirt anywhere seriously wigged her out and so she’d manic clean her room constantly.Plus, secretly of course, Astra had kept most of their Kryptonian tech and when they were feeling particularly lazy or petulant, they’d set those same robots loose on the house so they could mope around in peace.

Despite feeling quite at home in her squalor, Alex prefers Kara’s room to her own and had become a regular occupant of Kara’s bed.It usually resigns Kara to her bean bag chair, another gift from Alex, since it was _not_ proper for Alex and her to share such an intimate space together.A room alone was cutting it close but a casually sharing a _bed?_

Krypton may be gone but Rao was _not_.

So Kara’s in her bean bag chair and Alex is on her bed, lazily tossing a basketball up and down and up and down.The soft flick of Alex’s fingers and the small whack of rubber on flesh intersperse the silence, providing white noise for Kara to focus on as she sketches out a new panel for her comic.

She’d discovered the form of art thanks again to Alex.After that first time she’d let Alex see her sketchbook, Alex had gotten her a bunch of books on storytelling through art.Also, an extremely random and bizarre book called “Captain Underpants”.

It was as immature as it sounded.

Her pencil is currently shading one of her panels, creating an orange hue to the Kryptonian skyline when the soft whaps suddenly stop and Alex speaks, the tone of uncertainty lacing her voice pulling all of Kara’s attention.

“Kara?Have you ever kissed a boy?”

“Yes.”She had.On Krypton her year group had played a game of dares and she’d been dared to kiss Bal-Tan.He’d performed adequately and Kara wouldn’t have minded sharing more kisses with him but then Krypton had exploded, and she’d shuttered herself in.

She’d been nervous for a while that Astra would try to force her into a House, but her aunt had seemed content to keep Kara close.

“Did you like it?”Alex asks, her eyes locked on the basketball in her hands.Kara had read that when humans refuse eye contact, that meant they were uncomfortable.The best course of action would be to make this as ordinary as possible; she continues sketching.

“Yes.Bal was kind and managed to keep his tongue in his own mouth, so I found it more than acceptable.”Alex laughs, an airy breathless thing that makes Kara smile.“Why?”

Rolling onto her side, Alex shrugs and pulls the ball to her stomach.“I don’t know.I mean… I think—I’ve tried dating you know and it’s just… boys are dumb.”

“I think,” Kara says softly, trying to be as gentle as possible when it’s clear that whatever is happening is making Alex feel insecure.She draws her voice bubbles over the tiny people, the simplest thing she can do without screwing up the whole page.“That you not liking boys shouldn’t make them dumb.You don’t think a cat is dumb for not liking water, do you?”

“That’s a common misnomer.Not all cats are hydrophobic, there are even a few domestic breeds that—”

“Alex,” Kara cuts in patiently, “that’s not the point.”

Alex goes quiet for a long time, curling even further into herself and pressing her face into Kara’s pillow.It’s hard to see her like this; usually when Alex is working out a problem, she’s kind of manic.She’d have a bunch of books spread out in front of her, going back and forth between all of them as she takes notes and tries new methods to prove or replicate her chosen hypothesis.The performance of it all had always fascinated Kara who was so used to her father and uncle’s more clinical methods.

Alex had always been a force of nature and now she looks like a frightened little girl.

It makes Kara’s chest ache.

“I know.”Alex finally concedes quietly, “but if I don’t think that something’s wrong with them then maybe that means that something’s wrong with me.”

“I don’t see why there has to be anything wrong with anybody.”

“Because I don’t like kissing boys.”

“Heterosexuality is not the norm Alex; it is simply the loudest form of expression on this planet.”

“You think I’m gay?”Alex’s voice is even smaller now, and she sounds even more scared than before.It’s getting harder for her to ignore the girl in her bed; harder for her to pretend that she isn’t invested in this conversation.

“It doesn’t matter what I think Alex.It matters what you think and if you think that boys are gross, and girls aren’t then that’s something that we can talk about.”

There’s another stretch of silence before Alex asks, in her most vulnerable voice yet, “have you ever kissed a girl?”

The pencil skitters across the page, crossing through the forehead and eye of the caricature that is her Uncle Jor-El.Kara swallows.

“No.”

Sitting up, Alex swaps the basketball for a pillow, hugging it to her stomach.“Would you be willing to?”

“Yes.”

Alex nods and peeks up at Kara from beneath wet lashes.“Would you be willing to kiss me? —Just so I could see!I just need to—”

“Yes.”

“Yes?”Alex gawks, mouth flapping as Kara nods her confirmation.

“Yes.”

It’s an easy enough request; kiss Alex so she can narrow down her desired partner traits.A small part of Kara, one that has been growing steadily louder, whispers that if she does a good enough job at kissing Alex maybe the girl will decide that class and status don’t matter.After all, this wasn’t Krypton.

Maybe Alex would be willing to create a different set of rules.

Kara stands, barely registering that she shouldn’t be moving this quickly in front of a human, before she’s taken the spot next to Alex and gives her a tremulous smile.Wide brown eyes blink up at her and Kara has to swallow against the sudden dryness in her mouth.

And then promptly worries about the quality of her breath…

Too late to back out now.

“So,” Kara croaks, clearing her throat and trying again.“Should I just…?”

“Yeah…” Alex mumbles, cheeks turning red even though her eyes go hard in determination.“Whatever you want.”

So Kara leans in, pausing just in front of Alex’s mouth to take in the moment.Their first kiss.She smiles at the way Alex closes her eyes, the serious expression overtaking her face like she’s preparing for something particularly distasteful.She smells the sweat under Alex’s normal scent, remembering Alex had just come from playing basketball with some of the neighbor kids.They’d also just gorged themselves on grilled cheese sandwiches.This was by far the least romantic kiss Kara could imagine but somehow, it was also the most important.

She presses forward and sends a belated prayer to Rao for forgiveness.He kind of owed her one.

Unfortunately, Alex moves too, and they knock noses before Kara cups Alex’s cheek and steadies her face, slowly closing the distance between them.In the movies, the first kiss is always performed very slowly, and Kara wants to get this human mating practice right more than she’s ever wanted anything else. When their mouths meet, Kara takes control, gently coaxing Alex’s lips to move against her own.

Kara catalogues everything about this moment; the way Alex breathes through her nose, the way her heartbeat triples, how Alex’s hand that had been curled in Kara’s t-shirt tightens and clutches her closer.Alex’s lips are soft, a bit thinner than Kara’s own and trembling.Kara wants that to stop so she gives Alex a gentle nip, immediately soothing the sting with the tip of her tongue.It makes Alex whimper, makes her surge into Kara and ask for more.

And more.

And more.

Alex winds up straddling her lap, Kara’s back pressed to the wall while her arms wrap around Alex’s waist and back.They spend the entire afternoon kissing, satisfying all of Alex’s curiosities.Kara, feeling a moment of bravado even squeezes Alex’s butt and thighs, causing the other girl to moan and arch into her.There’s a line of soft warmth where their bodies meet, and Kara has never felt more important than she does right now.She feels like she’s on top of the world; like Alex has opened the door to a wholeness she hadn’t even known was missing.Being Alex’s friend is great and Kara loves it but this?The physical part of what they could be?

Kara would give anything to feel this every day.Her hand slides up between Alex’s shoulders, wrapping around the back of her neck and massaging the muscles there.When Alex’s mouth parts, a slight pant overwhelming her, Kara takes advantage by moving her kisses down her neck and across her jaw.And Alex isn’t idle either, her hands wrap around Kara’s biceps, move into her hair, scratch along her scalp, down her sides.It’s like Alex wants to touch every part of her; like somehow, they’d entered into this unspoken agreement where they gave each other a free pass for this experience.

They kiss for what feels like hours and Kara loses herself a little.Almost manages to convince herself this is real; that Alex wants this from her but when they’re done Alex only thanks her.She’s panting, out of breath and flushed all over but she looks happy.

Kara holds onto that when Alex leaves; holds onto that when, a few weeks later, Alex starts secretly dating a girl at her school.

She’d hoped that maybe, now that Alex had felt what it was to be with her, she’d want to petition for her hand.Alex hadn’t and Kara couldn’t, so she shoved it all down and packed it away.

Alex had been happy and, mate or not, Kara had had a hand in that.

It’s not until years later, as she’s driving a beat up pickup truck down an empty highway that she realizes Alex had also looked incredibly sad.

~*~

**_Present Day_ **

**-**

One thing Kara is realizing is that Alex doesn’t really understand Kryptonian mating habits.Mainly because Kara had never told her but also because human mating rituals were vastly different.What is important to humans is not what is important to Kara.

Wealth and class matter but only to a certain degree.

She’s sitting in the food court of a highway stop eating lunch (a burger, nachos, two slices of pizza, a banana split, and some fries) when she decides to just watch.Over the years, Kara has had limited opportunities to just people watch.It’s mostly by her own design.While Astra had shown no interest in mingling with human’s more than she had to, she had never really put any restrictions on Kara being able to.There had been one rather annoying incident when Astra had come in from inserting nutrient recyclers into the fields, a device she and Kara had created that would pull greenhouse gases from the air and back into nutrient deficient soil, when she’d spotted Kara on the couch.Her aunt had paused, fiddled with her gloves and then suggested Kara go to the mall.

The nearest mall was over thirty miles away and Kara wasn’t allowed to use her powers.

Plus, "the last time I went to a mall, someone _talked_ to me." 

She’d politely declined, and Astra had let it be.

Maybe Alex’s concerns about her not being socially educated had more substance than she’d realized but Kara won’t let this opportunity, fleeting as it may be, slide.Taking a bit of her burger, she leans back in her chair and takes in the humans as they go about their lives.

It's much better than watching a nature documentary.

One child, a teenager with spiked hair and a skateboard is telling a little girl about safety and helmets, the girl’s mother watching in grateful shock.

There’s another girl who accidentally knocks over a chair, looks at it for a second before mumbling, “same” and picking it up.

A young couple sits on opposite sides of a booth engrossed in their phones while under the table their feet interlock and slide along ankles and calves.

An older woman yells at an employee because her drink isn’t correct and stammers more insults when it turns out she’d simply picked up the wrong drink.

Humans truly were fascinating.

But it’s the courting rituals that really throw Kara; apparently, humans really like being courted.

On Krypton, it had been a requirement, a holdover from the past even though no one had denied the matricomp in generations.But on Earth, humans seemed to find almost anyone who approached them with a compliment as endearing.There were levels to it, Kara found.One compliment was ok and then the compliment giver should wait for approval for more compliments.If no approval was given, it was best to move on and leave the other party to giggle with their friends over your failure.

It was also important to assess the comfortability of the intended target; human females for example, seemed to be much more testy about being approached than the males.At first Kara was confused.After watching an hour of bad interactions, she gets it.

Mentally, she adds “don’t be a jerk” to her arsenal.

A few people even try to talk to Kara, but she glares at them until they go away.She had not, after all, left her house to socialize.Her mission is to find Alex and Alex alone. The current purpose of these people is educational only.And slight entertainment.

As she finished her food, there are a few things that Kara acknowledges she’s been an idiot about.

1.Earth and Krypton are not the same and she should never have brought the social pressures of her home world into this new one.

2.Human’s liked to be courted and human women liked to be _the_ courted.There were a few more confident girls who’d taken the initiative and done the approaching but, for all of her many talents, Alex had never been very confident about this kind of stuff.Kara blames it on her confusion over her sexuality but she’s sure that, given time and good people, Alex will come into her own.

3.Alex deserves to be courted.She deserves compliments and flowers and being asked out on a “date”.

4.Kara has only the most basic ideas on how to accomplish any of that.

She downloads an audible book on relationships and sets it to play in the car, handing over several beef patties to Krypto for waiting so patiently for her in the bed of the truck.

“Do you think Alex was waiting for me to say something this whole time?”She asks him, scratching behind his ears as she gobbles down his lunch.

He breaks only long enough to lick her face several times, his tail wagging so hard that his butt moves with the force of it.It is a very clear “ _now_ you’re getting it” if Kara’s ever seen one.

“You should tell me these things next time.”She grumbles, opening the driver side door and entering the cabin.“You know I’m useless at this stuff.”

Krypto barks his agreement.

~*~

**Prom** \- _A very overrated social event wherein teenagers are forced to pay outlandish prices in a last ditch effort to seem cool and the school reaps all of the rewards._

Sixteen and Eighteen

-

They don’t speak about it; about the kissing.

Sometimes Kara would catch Alex looking at her with an unreadable expression, but Alex would always look away as soon as Kara looked up.It was frustrating but Kara wasn’t a human and hadn’t quite grasped their social norms.

What she did understand was that Alex had asked to be kissed as a sort of test of her sexual proclivities.Kara had agreed.Alex had experienced what the physical aspect of a relationship with Kara would mean and she still hadn’t said anything.

As the one from the higher House, it would have been up to Alex to state her intentions.Kara’s own House was now little more than peasantry, there was no way she could request anything from Alex.

Which brings her to the second thing she knows: Alex didn’t want her to.

Alex had kissed her and discovered that the very tightly wound restrictions that humans placed on their society didn’t fit in with her own wants and desires.She’d learned that while she may not like kissing boys, she very much liked kissing girls.And Vicki Donahue reaped the rewards.

Now it was prom and, according to her pod’s AI, it would be the night that Alex would explore even more of herself.But she wouldn’t do it with Kara; that was Vicki’s job now.

A few months ago, before all of this had transpired, Jeremiah had jokingly told Kara that maybe she should get an outfit ready in case Alex’s revolving door of bad boyfriends continued.It had been a terrible joke and Alex hadn’t spoken to him for almost two weeks—secretly Kara knows she’d cried—but Kara had taken his words to heart.Also, in his defense, he hadn’t known about Alex’s sexuality at that point and was trying to lighten the mood maybe?Honestly… Kara hadn’t spoken to him for a few days either.

Still, prom was apparently a very big deal for American youths, and she didn’t want Alex’s to be ruined by some woefully inexperienced hormonal male.She’d consulted the AI and had been shown a few dozen movies on prom for reference, not all of them good.Aside from the unlikely event of this turning into a blood bath it seemed pretty obvious that one party was to act as the courter while the other the courted.As it would be Kara escorting Alex, Kara had begun paying special attention to the males in this ritual.

Another thing she found bizarre about Earth?They only ever catered to one type of relationship in their major media.

On Krypton, her Aunt Astra had been of the higher House and so had been the one to pursue Non.Not that Kara understood why; the man was a disease unworthy of sharing the same airspace as her beloved Aunt.Astra has said she was in love.Kara hadn’t understood that either.

She and Astra didn’t leave the farm much, but they made an exception this once because Kara would need some new clothes.When she’d gone to the tailor for a suit, the man had asked if she wanted a dress instead.He’d received a glare that had garnered Kara a discount and a rush order and a request to put her next order in through the phone.

Astra really was the best sometimes.(There’d even been a pretty memorable moment when Astra had haltingly remarked that maybe it wouldn’t be so bad if Kara began to consider her future on Earth.She’d said she approved of Kara seeking a more… intimate relationship and then promptly left the room.Krypto had laughed about it for days.)

And Kara had liked the suit, it was dark blue with a vest and a white undershirt and a bowtie that Kara had spent hours learning how to tie.She’d paired it with a pair of cream heels and had practiced different patterns of makeup and hairstyles until she’d been satisfied with the results.Straight hair, smoky eye, pink lips, hint of blush.

That suit, that had cost Kara a pretty penny to get, is now getting unnecessarily dirty as Kara lays out in the backyard with straightened hair but no makeup and with her bow tie hanging loosely over her shoulders.It had been a spur of the moment decision to put it on, but she hadn’t wanted her money to go to waste.She’d spent the better part of four weeks perusing the beach for human metals and then selling them online via a pseudo account that Artax, her nanny bot, had helped her create.Krypton’s super computers may attract too much attention if they use it to clean the planet, but no one bat an eye at an amateur treasure hunter.

Not that it mattered.

Kara had heard Alex tell her dad that Vicki had asked her to prom; that they were going to go together.As friends of course; Alex still wasn’t “out” to her parents.

So now Kara’s laid out in her backyard in her expensive suit like an idiot just looking up at the stars.She’s squinting a bit, her eyes lasered in on the spot where Krypton had been as she tries to feel her parents; tries to feel not quite so lonely.

“When’d you get a suit?”Alex’s frowning face pops into her vision briefly before her friend heaves a sigh, drops something heavy sounding near Kara’s opposite hip and falls down with all the grace of a baby cow.“Do you know how tall this grass is?How in the world did you expect me to find you in this?”

Kara blinks, mouth flapping stupidly.“I didn’t.”

“Why not?”Alex stretches out her legs and allows her head to flop in Kara’s direction.She looks normal, no prom dress in sight but also no tears.Just… normal.“It’s movie night; we never miss a movie night.”

“I—uh… it’s your prom?”

“Is that why you’re wearing a suit?”Alex plucks at her collar, eyes trailing down Kara’s body and making her face heat up.

“No!”

“Are you sure?”Alex asks, and there’s something soft in her eyes that almost makes Kara cave, but she stays strong.No way could she handle the mortification that would come of Alex knowing she’d done all of this on the very small chance that Alex would notice.

“Positive.”

“Oh.”

“Yes.”

“Well… do you still want to watch movies?”

Clearing her throat, Kara props herself up on her elbow and holds up a finger to keep Alex in place.“Wait here.”

She’s not going to ask why Alex is missing her prom over a silly tradition that _Alex_ had started and Kara had just sort of followed along with, but she’s also not going to pretend she’s not grateful.On the one hand, any time Alex is _not_ with Vicki is a win in Kara’s book. 

On the other, the time they have together, to share like this, is coming to an end.Soon Alex will be in college thousands of miles away and Kara will be… here.

Kara had considered following her, she had after all completed her high school coursework a year ago, but she still can’t bring herself to journey to heavily populated areas.She’s not a fan of the baser human instincts that come out when they pack together like cattle.It usually turns into a mess of sex, homelessness and greed.

Kara prefers the country where things are quiet, and she can keep to herself without wanting to put her fist through anyone’s head.

Besides, there are online colleges that are just as good as a physical school.She’s already halfway through her BFA.Following Alex would be pointless and only serve to hurt Kara when Alex finds someone else to spend her time with.So, she won’t go after her, but she can make this night special.

It's Alex’s prom and whether she actually went to the event or not, Kara wanted her to feel as beautiful as the girls in those movies had wanted to.

It takes her no time at all to acquire the projector from her pod and reconfigure it to look a bit more earthly.Then she gets her laptop and the hard drive of movies that Winn had sent to her and heads back outside.She drops her goods next to Alex before rushing back inside for some blankets and pillows and the couch cushions.

This time when she gets back, Alex grabs her ankle to keep her from running off again.“What are you doing you weirdo?”

“Building a pillow fort.”Kara answers, quirking an eyebrow as she slowly steps out of Alex’s hold.“Obviously.”

“Oh yeah.Obvious.”Alex grumbles, standing up and grabbing the couch cushions.

Satisfied that the human can at least manage to get started on their fort, Kara darts back into the house one more time for a white sheet and some wood and nails.

A few minutes later she has a makeshift projector screen set up with the movie _Footloose_ ready to go.Alex had brought snacks, so they hunker down in the fort, thighs touching, and a blanket thrown over their shoulders as they hit play.Kara’s never tried dancing before but she’s pretty sure that Alex deserves a few dances on her prom night so, when the dance scenes come on, she tugs Alex to her feet.Alex laughs at her atrocious attempts _a lot_ but she’s also smiling and joining in and she’s not worried about what anyone else thinks of her or looking cool, she’s just happy.

Kara counts it as a win.

They alternate between movies and dancing and even a round of video games—Kara even gets to give Alex her suit jacket when she gets cold—before winding down the night with a game of tag that devolves into Alex tackling Kara back into the pillow fort.Alex props herself up on her hands, her long brown hair swinging into Kara’s face, swaying with the breathless chuckles of its owner.

Kara lifts a hand to save herself, pushing the strands back and smiling back at Alex.For a second she’s tempted to kiss her, but Alex beats her to it, dipping down to press a slow kiss to Kara’s cheek, just below her eye.

“You look very handsome you know?”Alex admits, fiddling with the button on Kara’s vest.“Even though I have no idea why you’re dressed like this.”

“Just cause,” Kara mumbles, trying not to feel too lame.

Alex grins down at her, a full beam that slowly sinks into something softer, warmer.

“Don’t forget about me ok?”Alex whispers, “promise me you won’t forget.”

A ridiculous promise to make.Kara’s a Kryptonian; the Great Scion to the House of El, her memory is unparalleled.

“I am _incapable_ of forgetting you Alex.”She’s incapable of forgetting a lot of things; it seems like it’s her own personal curse.To be the one left remembering.

Alex looks at her for a long time before nodding and collapsing on top of Kara, head tucking under her chin.It’s the first time they’ve held each other like this, and it goes against all of Kara’s senses of propriety.Still, she only hesitates a little before she wraps Alex up in the tightest hug she can muster without hurting her.It must be the right thing to do because Alex sighs and nuzzles even deeper.

“Can we watch another movie?Do you have Alien?”

“Yes,” Kara mumbles, fumbling for her laptop and wondering how she’s expected to survive yet another separation from someone she loves.“Of course.”

~*~

**_Present Day_ **

**-**

When she pulls into National City, the first thing Kara notices is the smell.She and Astra had trained extensively in their new abilities, but Kara is still more than a little overwhelmed.She has to pull over, the mixed scents of humans, food, and waste making her nostrils sting in discomfort.

Krypto whines next to her and she nods, pressing the bridge of her nose between two fingers.“I know boy, I know.It will take some getting used to but… well Alex is worth it right?”

A scratchy tongue licking her cheek is her answer and she smiles for the first time since she’d left Midvale.This wouldn’t be so bad.

She counts to ten, focusing on her mental filters until she can only scent what’s inside the cabin.It’s a good idea for her hearing and vision to, to limit them so that she’s not endangering anyone.Or herself.

Thinking of Alex helps; it always has and, when the city noise gets to be too much, she tries to isolate the one sound in NC that had been a constant in her life.Her own personal anchor.

There.

~*~

**Stud-** _a human male who is virile and promiscuous, of which a female Kryptonian would be none of.Sarcastic terminology search underway._

-

The last major event that Kara had gone through with Alex had been about a year ago.Alex had just gone back for her sophomore year and hadn’t been able to come home for the holiday.So Jeremiah and Eliza had offered to go to her.There had been some hedging, but Alex had finally caved when Kara had asked if she’d feel more comfortable if Kara tagged along.

It had been a fairly quick discussion after that.

Jeremiah had been smiling the entire time while Eliza shot him warning glares.

The whole thing had been very confusing for Kara and she’d chalked it up to weird human behavior.Kara had kept up a polite conversation with Eliza on the drive up, sharing her current interests with the woman.There had been a history class that had shown up in her recommended classes and Kara had signed up.Little did she know that she would be learning of the intricacies of the Playboy mansion and Gloria Steinem’s efforts to bring it all to light.

“They teach about Playboy in high school?”Eliza asks, sounding somewhat scandalized as Kara continues to placidly sketch out a panel in her book.

She’d decided, with Astra’s counsel of course, that the tales of Krypton were just too fantastical for humans to believe were real.As long as Kara kept a low profile sharing her art with the world shouldn’t be a problem.Her first book will be of the fall of Krypton and how her Aunt Astra had tried to save the doomed planet.Kal had of course already told some of this story but he didn’t know the details because he hadn’t been there.And, since they had no connection here on Earth, anything Kara wrote would be dismissed as teenage drivel.Fanfiction so to speak.

She’d already met with a publisher and they’d given her, her first advance a few days ago.Kara planned on using the money to buy the Danvers’ dinner.For driving and reuniting her with Alex.

“I’m not sure,” Kara tells Eliza, completely focused on making sure she has the angry lines of Non’s stupid face correct.She doesn’t want _anyone_ to ever think him a good person.“I had to take my core classes first though.”

“Core?Kara, are you taking college classes?”

Kara hums and nods, feeling Jeremiah glance at her through the rearview mirror.

“Since when?”

“Almost two years now.”She admits, pausing in her sketches to give the two adults her full attention.It was rude to engage in work when your elders sought your counsel.“I’ll probably be finished by summer.”

Eliza and Jeremiah exchange stunned glances.

“What are you studying honey?”Eliza asks, “did you go for art?Is it online?”

The rest of the drive is spent with Kara explaining her education path.She’ll be receiving a Bachelor of Fine Arts for Illustration and Graphic Design from the Rhode Island School of Design.

Until Eliza gasps in appreciation, Kara hadn’t known that was a big deal.She’d simply done a quick web search for the best art schools and clicked on the first thing that popped up.Her grades and made up sob story had gotten her in, and the rest had been history.

By the time they meet Alex at the predetermined location of a restaurant just off of Alex’s campus, Eliza is a gushing font of admiration and Kara can’t stop blushing.

“Does Alex know all of this?”Eliza questions as they exit the car.“I can’t imagine why she wouldn’t tell us you’re so accomplished.”

“It never really came up.”Kara acknowledges with a shrug.“I don’t really… talk about myself much.”

“We hadn’t noticed.”Jeremiah jokes, holding the door open for the women to enter the restaurant.

The words “Buffet” stretch over the entrance and Kara’s mouth immediately starts to water.She had never been to a buffet, but she had heard enough about them to get excited.Her stomach growls obnoxiously and Jeremiah laughs.

“Before you go run off to eat maybe you want to say hello to your friend.”He points at Alex who is already seated at a table and has just looked up at their arrival.All thoughts of food leave Kara’s mind when she sees her.Alex had changed her look; her hair now has red highlights and it’s been cut to rest just below her chin.At least most of it has, the back of her head and the right side have also been treated to a bit of a buzz cut.She’s also wearing makeup, something she had never done in Midvale, and it softens her features.

Luckily, Alex still prefers jeans and t-shirts because…

Well; Kara had always thought Alex was pretty but… wow.Just wow.

The next thing she knows, her friend’s arms are wrapped tightly around her neck, Alex swinging their bodies from side to side.Kara allows her the small movement, bringing her own hands up to circle Alex’s waist.

“I missed you.”Alex says, “I know I saw you this summer but… god I missed you Kara.”

The blonde tightens her hold.“I missed you too.So much.”

“Can the adults get hugs too?”Jeremiah asks, tapping Alex’s shoulder.“We did all the driving you know.”

Alex rolls her eyes but breaks away from Kara long enough to embrace both of her parents.“Hi guys; you really didn’t have to come up here.”

“But you’re happy we did.”Eliza needles, smiling at Jeremiah when he pulls out her chair for her.

Kara does the same for Alex, a small part of her still needing to care for Alex in some way.She gets a small pleased grin for her troubles, Alex’s eyes crinkling in the corners.

“Yeah I am.Actually,” Alex confirms, glancing around at the table once everyone’s been seated and smiling warmly.

A waitress comes over to ask them what they want to drink, and the conversation pauses.Kara’s nose wrinkles when Alex speaks to their waitress in Mandarin and wonders when Alex had decided learning a new language was a necessity.She tells herself she’s only grumpy because the waitress gets a bit too excited over the whole thing but in reality, she just doesn’t like how the woman leans over her slightly to get closer to Alex.

They’re both equally horrible but the personal space issue is obviously the more concerning.She’s able to breathe only when the woman leaves, a slight spring to her step.Loser. 

“There’s something I want to get out before we eat.”Alex says, turning her attention back to her family and pressing a soothing kiss to Kara’s glowering cheek.It helps ease some of her tensions.“Clear the air a bit maybe.”

“What is it honey?”Eliza asks patiently.

Wordlessly, Kara offers her hand under the table and feels Alex squeeze it gratefully.She has no idea what Alex is about to reveal but she knows that whatever it is, she’ll support her as best she’s able.

“I just… I haven’t been completely honest with you guys about something and… well it’s not really a big deal like at _all._ ”Alex’s face scrunches up in distaste and she drags an agitated hand through her shorn locks.“It’s just well… I mean I guess it’s a weird topic, but you should probably know that I… like girls.I’m gay.”

There’s a tense moment of silence where Alex’s grip tightens to the point where even Kara thinks she’ll blow her supposed-to-be-human-cover if she doesn’t express pain but luckily, Eliza breaks the silence with a relieved sigh.In comparison, Jeremiah’s face gets really red.

Like really red.

“Your father and I love and support you no matter what Alex.”Eliza promises, reaching over to grasp Alex’s bicep.“We care about your happiness above all else.”

“Umm are you sure?Because Dad looks like he’s about to die of asphyxiation.”

“Don’t engage.”Eliza says primly, adjusting her sleeves and decidedly ignoring her husband.“He’ll mature one of these days.”

Jeremiah blows out a long slow breath.“Thank you for telling us honey.”

“Are you ok with it?”Alex asks seriously.“It’s ok if you’re not.”Scoffing, Alex shakes her head and releases Kara’s hand to cross her arms.“Or rather its not because I’m still your daughter.I might be gay but—"

“—hi gay, I’m dad!”Jeremiah blurts, eyes wide as he quickly sends an apologetically amused look at Eliza.

Kara blinks stupidly as Alex groans and drops her head in her hands.The Danvers matriarch scowls something fierce.

“I want you to know he’s been holding that joke in for _years._ ”

“Years?Wait.”Alex holds up a hand, glancing between her parents.“You mean you knew?”

“Of course we did honey.”Jeremiah seems to have recovered from his outburst and returned to his normal role of cool dad. “I mean, I know two girls can be close but with as much time as you spent with Ka—”

“Jeremiah!”Eliza warns, “stop meddling.”

“What?Maybe this means that they’ve—”

“No!” Eliza stands, dropping her purse onto her seat and waving a disapproving finger at Jeremiah.“Just for that you can sit here and watch our things while the girls and I go fill our plates.Come ladies, I’ve been looking forward to the lo mein all day and I’m dying for more mature conversation.”

“Oh, come _on!_ It was _so_ easy.”

“You’re such a cheeseball dad.”Alex says, tugging Kara up and shaking her head. For some reason, she seems to be very grateful for her mother’s interference. “That was very low brow.You could have done so much better.”She turns away from her pouting father and suddenly Kara doesn’t care so much about the humor she’d clearly missed because Alex only has eyes for her.“Come on stud, let’s go eat.”

Kara grins.

~*~

**_Present Day_ **

**-**

“I’m an alien Alex!”Kara hisses as soon as she’s found the brunette.

Not that it had been hard.As Alex’s appointed best friend, she knew the majority of Alex’s schedule.In their frequent phone calls, Alex always went on and on about her day, so Kara had had a pretty good idea of where she’d be.

That and she’d listened for her heartbeat.

On a Wednesday evening such as this one, the most logical place for Alex to be was at her job at the local Barnes and Noble.

Currently, Alex is on a ladder restocking books; dressed in a black hoodie, green apron and blue jeans.And, although she looks shocked to see Kara, she’s not at all affronted at the words.

“Well spotted.”Alex points at Kara with the book in her hand, lips pulling down with a sort of amused interest.“Did you drive all the way down here to tell me that?”

Kara has not.Kara has a lot more she wants to say.

Kara has never been very good at saying the things she _wants_ to say.

“You’re in love with me!”

Her heart skips a beat, a few beats.Both at the way the words are finally out there between them, in the open and the way Alex’s face softens, lips lifting in a self-conscious smile and eyes dropping to the floor.

“Well spotted.”She repeats.

For a second, Alex just fiddles with the book in her hand, staring at the spine as if it has the answers to life itself.

Then it’s shelved and she’s slowly descending until she’s on the same level as Kara.

“You never said anything.”Kara accuses, taking one of Alex’s hands in hers and pulling at her fingers.She’s never felt this out of control in her life and she desperately needs Alex to help ground her.“I didn’t know Alex.”

Twisting her hand, Alex captures her anxious fingers within her own and pulls Kara’s trapped appendage up to her lips.

They tremble over Kara’s skin, Alex’s fear shown only in that small tell even as the soft kiss settles the electricity in Kara’s brain, granting her wondrous silence. It does nothing to quell the thundering of her heart.

“Now you do my brave Space Knight.What do you intend to do about it?”

The entirety of their relationship flashes before Kara’s eyes; from a few hours ago when she’d first had this revelation all the way back to the first time they met and everything in between.Their time together had revolved around Alex giving and giving and giving… she’d never really asked anything of Kara in return.

Maybe if she had this wouldn’t be so difficult.

And everything Kara knows about relationships comes from some stupid alien dictionary that doesn’t truly grasp the little human social cues.But she’d spent the entire ride over here trying to rectify that.She’d listened to that audible book; had people watched and learned what normal humans did; and had even reviewed what she’d known about Alex.

Alex liked it when Kara shared things with her; when Kara took the lead; she _really_ liked Ellen Ripley…

Maybe…?

Kara reaches out for Alex’s waist, deliberately allowing her hands to slowly slide down over her hips until she reaches her thighs, all the while tugging her closer.When she’s certain of her grip, she lifts and pulls, Alex gasping as her legs automatically lock around Kara’s waist.Which is good, she’s not pushing her away, Kara can compliment her now.

“You’re very light.”Kara whispers.With her super strength, Alex weighs nothing and it’s quite easy to press her against the back face of one of the bookshelves.

She wants to kiss her.

She doesn’t.

“What?”Alex mumbles distractedly, the space between them so minimal they’re almost sharing breath at this point.“Kara… what are you doing?”

Still, Kara’s a little distracted by the hand Alex has dancing along the back of her neck.And the one fingering the collar of her t-shirt.Both signs of acceptance Kara has learned.Alex likes this.

“I love you Alex Danvers.”She says quietly, boldly, when she finally manages to form words.She’d wanted to apologize for not being very good at this, for not having words, but Alex doesn’t need to hear that.She already knows.“This isn’t the way—it’d be different on Krypton but…The House of El would be honored if you would consider a joining of our Houses. I love you so much Alex.Rao I…”Clenching her eyes shut, Kara has to remember not to clench her muscles to tight.She’s holding precious cargo.“Anything you ask of me is yours.Anything at all.All I want—Alex I just want you happy.And if I could be a part of that… I’d—I’d really like that too.”

For a second, Kara thinks she’s done it; a small part of her cheering in victory as Alex’s face lights up and her smile stretches across her face.But it’s gone just as quickly as it had come and the shadow that remains makes Kara feel sick.

“I’m… involved with someone.”

Kara almost drops her, sets her down as quickly as she can without hurting her.“You’re—but—Right.Right that was stupid.I’m sorry I—”

“No. No Kara you didn’t do anything wrong.I just need… Maggie and I are just friends; we both want different people, but I still need to talk to her first.”

“Oh.Ok I—”

“Don’t.”Alex warns, grabbing Kara’s hand when she begins to back away.“Don’t run.”She reaches up and cups Kara’s face, following Kara’s eyes when the blonde tries to duck her head.“Hey, I didn’t know that you—we’re convenient.It doesn’t mean anything.”

Kara nods and feels like her head will fall off.

“I have to—” Alex growls, scrubbing a hand over her face before digging into her pocket and retrieving her keys.“Wait for me in my apartment please?I have to finish my shift and then I _swear_ I’ll talk to Maggie.Please trust me Kara.”

So Kara finds herself in Alex’s rather impressive off campus apartment.It’s got big windows and an open floor space and Alex has about three pieces of furniture in it.A table, a couch, and a bed.

Krypto rushes over to the couch and tucks himself into a ball, exhausted and lazy from the arduous hours he’d spent sitting doing nothing.Kara drops Alex’s keys into the bowl by her door and takes in the rest of the space.It’s neater than she’d thought it would be, still cluttered with lab supplies and notebooks but more organized chaos than disaster zone.

Smiling fondly at the familiarity of it all, Kara joins Krypto on the couch and lets her head flop back on the cushions.

What a disaster.

Alex had a girlfriend and Kara had embarrassed herself.

Or… well, maybe had a girlfriend.

One of the things she’d learned from that audiobook was the defining characteristics of a casual relationship.Which was fine, exploring and discovering what one wanted in a sexual partner was very important for future relationships.Besides, Kara wasn’t Alex’s owner.It was none of her business who Alex chose to share her body with.

Krypton whines when she groans, wiggling over to her lap and staring up at her with concerned eyes.

“She’s an adult.”Kara grumbles, even though the idea of Alex sharing her body with this Maggie makes her physically ill.The idea of Alex sharing her body with _anyone_ not Kara makes her physically ill. Kara was kind of starting to believe she was a bit of a stoosh. “Do you want second lunch?”

Krypto barks his agreement and Kara drags herself up to raid Alex’s fridge.All she finds is ramen packets, bread, grape jam and peanut butter.

Humans have a serious lack of respect for diet variety.Looks like she’d have to go to a grocery store if she was going to survive this encounter.

“Stay here Krypto, I’ll be right back.”

There’s a grocery store a few blocks away, about a fifteen minute walk.It’s good because it gives Kara time to think.She kind of thinks she’d missed a few steps in the courting thing.Picking Alex up like that had seemed like the “Knightly” thing to do but maybe she should have asked for permission first.Alex had clearly liked being picked up but maybe she would have preferred being picked up by Maggie.

Who’s probably very suave and cool and hip to all of this human stuff.

Also, since when did humans have automated cashier robots?Kara delights in the ability to completely avoid human interaction, the idea that maybe city living wasn’t quite so bad starting to sink in.

Technology was coming along a lot quicker than she’d expected. Grabbing a bone for Krypto from the butcher, she takes her spoils and heads back to Alex’s apartment.

An apology, she decides, is her best course of action.She had touched Alex without her permission and even on Earth that was still a bad thing.Just because they were friends didn’t give Kara the right to just… grab her like that.And spewing her feelings everywhere?Temporary insanity.

It would mean going back to Midvale with her tail between her legs but at least she’d tried.

Kind of.

Sort of.

Astra was going to kill her.

Opening the door, she’s kind of surprised to see Alex fawning over an excited Krypto before she remembers that this is _Alex’s_ apartment.When he sees her, Krypto bounds over to her, jumping up on her chest before _flying_ back towards Alex and performing a solo game of tag between his two favorite people.

Kara frowns, the more time they spend on Earth, the weirdo Krypto gets.He certainly wasn’t acting like a canine befitting the House of El.

“Could he always do that?”Alex breathes in amazement.“Could _you_ do that?”

“I’d like to apologize.”Kara says, ignoring Alex’s question for more important matters.She sets the bags down by the fridge and clasps her hands behind her back.“I did not have your permission to—”

“Why are you standing like a soldier?Were you a soldier? _Are_ you a soldier?”

“I—no but—”

But Alex is on a roll, eyes wide with excitement as she darts over to Kara and curls her hands along her shoulders and neck.It takes a second for Kara to realize she’s _tugging_ her.

“This is how I knew.”Alex states matter of fact.“Well this and a million other things but the first time I tried to kiss you I couldn’t even make you budge.Any time you weren’t paying me any attention, you were like a brick wall.”

Affronted, Kara balks.“I always pay attention to you.”

Alex rolls her eyes.“Hardly.You tune me out like all the time.It’s ok though, you have very good secondary listening skills.”

“Secondary what?”Kara pauses, shakes her head in confusion.“When did you try to kiss me?”

“Why were you apologizing back then?The groceries?Because I won’t say no to groceries.”Alex drops her hands and starts digging through the bags, pleased when she comes up with a bag of chocolates.Kara tries not to scowl; those had been for _her._

“I—you—you have a girlfriend and I—”

“Woah!” Alex says, spinning around with raised hands.“I do _not_ have a girlfriend.Re: casual.Did you not have that in space?”

“Krypton.”Kara corrects, almost immediately regretting it when Alex’s eyes light up like Christmas.

“ _KRYPTON!?_ Holy _shit_ Kara!You’re _Kryptonian_?Why didn’t you ever tell me?Do you know Superman?Can I get a blood sample?I always wanted to see how your blood converts sunlight to energy.”Alex’s eyes widen and she waves her hands frantically.“But that’s weird and completely unromantic and I am going to take that all back because I don’t want you to think I just see you as an experiment.…OR THAT I SEE YOU AS AN EXPERIMENT LIKE AT ALL!”Closing her eyes in obvious mortification, Alex palms her reddened cheeks and shakes her head.“I don’t see you as anyone but Kara; I swear.”

That was a lot to unpack and Kara doesn’t even know where to start.

“Um… ok.”

They stand in awkward silence, Alex fidgeting in front of her before her curiosity seems to win out and she grasps Kara’s face again.

“I’m going to kiss you now if that’s ok.Do you need to ask permission on Krypton?”

Kara blinks.“You should ask permission everywhere.”

“Right.”Alex mumbles, eyes on Kara’s mouth.“Right.”

Then Kara’s being kissed, a gentle yet insistent press of lips as Alex pulls her towards the couch.Kara is paying attention now, so she stumbles along with her unsure of where to put her hands.

Alex grabs one and puts it on her hip.“Why do you still have grumpy face?It’s adorable but a little concerning given our current activities.”

“What about Maggie?”

“What about her?”

“She’s… casual.”

“I told her you said you loved me, and she offered to buy me dental dams and a pack of cigarettes.”

Alex drops back on the couch, disrupting Krypto and for once not caring as she pulls on Kara’s hands and guides her down to lay on top of her.Kara’s being kissed again in no time and still doesn’t know what to do with her hands.

“What’s a dental dam?”

Laughing, Alex smatters kisses all over Kara’s face.“I need to hear you say it again.Say you love me.”

“I love you.”Kara says, looking down into golden brown eyes and willing her heart not to beat out of her chest.

Biting her lip, Alex nods.“Yeah.That’s never going to get old.”Lifting up, she nips at Kara’s chin before making her way back to her mouth, slotting their lips together and sighing happily.She continues talking between kisses, voice husky and hands wandering again.“A dental dam is used for safe sex here on Earth.It helps prevent the spread of STDs and OTIs and what made you come here?”

Rao this woman’s mind worked fast.“I remembered the day before you left when you said you liked aliens.”

“Seriously?I’ve been trying to give you signs for _years_ and that’s what you remember?!”

“I—” Kara’s mouth drops, and Alex giggles and kisses the forming pout.“Humans are very confusing.”Kara continues, voice slightly muffled by kisses.“On Krypton you’d be in a higher house than me.I would not be allowed to approach you.I was trying to be respectful.”

Alex hums, “Krypton was wrong then.I want you to approach me.I want you to do a lot more than approach me.”Kara blushes and Alex laughs again.“I love you Kara; in case you haven’t guessed it by now, I’ve loved you since forever.”

The words nearly stop her heart.As it is, they make her eyes sting and her mouth dry and she has to clear her throat several times before she feels confident enough to try talking again.

“I’m sorry.I’m sorry I made you wait so long.”

“No honey, you were worth it.”Alex promises, fingers running along Kara’s face.“You were so worth it.”

Kara settles her weight between Alex’s legs, more secure now that she knows Alex doesn’t have a girlfriend and that Alex wants Kara to touch her.That she apparently wants Kara to do a lot more.She’ll need to pick up a book on sex next, makes a mental note to do just that.

“I can take care of you now.I—do you remember the comics I used to draw?”

“Yes.”

“I turned them into a graphic novel series.They’re doing pretty well and… I think we’d at least be considered equals by Kryptonian standards now.You wouldn’t be bonding with someone beneath you if you accepted me.”

Alex quirks her lips thoughtfully, before sliding her hands down to Kara’s shoulders and pulling until Kara is completely covering her.For her part, Alex clings like a baby monkey and Kara finally just puts her hands to work rubbing up and down Alex’s sides.

“I have all of your novels by my bed.”Alex confesses.“You never do any author events or else I would have asked you to sign them.And I know about your _degrees_ and your charity work and… all of it.I may have stalked you a little.With Astra’s help.And, for the record, you were _never_ beneath me.”

Shuddering, and feeling equal parts happy and confused, Kara drops her head to Alex’s shoulder and decides to just let herself be coddled.“Can you not date anyone else anymore?”

“All of my relationships were casual.I was waiting for you, you goofus.”

“Well I’m an idiot and I don’t like people so if you don’t want them to be barbecued, then stop being “casual” with them.”

Alex freezes beneath her.“You have _heat vision?”_

“Focus Alex.”

“No more casual dating.”Alex promises, practically vibrating in her excitement.“Although I have to tell you, the idea of you being jealous is so weird.I mean, you’re like ridiculously jacked and you have the most beautiful eyes _ever._ Are blue eyes a Kryptonian thing?Astra has to be an alien too because well… she’s Astra but her eyes are brown so—”

“It’s not a Kryptonian thing, just family genetics.I get my coloring from my grandfather.And Superman is my cousin.”

“Oh my god I’m dating Superman’s _cousin_?Can I meet him?”

“I guess.”Kara allows, tilting her head so that her ear is pressed to Alex’s heart, letting the sound and the feeling of Alex’s fingers in her hair, soothe her.“He’s a bit of a jerk though.”

“I don’t think that’s true.He’s _Superman._ ”

“He didn’t even want to see me growing up.”

“Did you ask him _why_?”

“Don’t need to,” Kara grunts, “abandoning family is an actual crime on Krypton.I could exile him from our House.”

“OR… you could just talk to him.I mean, there’s no way anyone could have willingly given up the chance to know you so you should at least hear him out.Maybe he was trying to protect you.”When Kara doesn’t say anything, Alex sighs dramatically and busses a kiss to the top of her head.“You’re right.I’m biased.You’re my girlfriend and I love you.Down with the patriarchy!”

Kara snorts and feels her mouth stretch into a grin.“Kal-El is actually younger than me you know?I’m the one who was supposed to raise him, but my pod got knocked off course and I got lost in a place where time doesn’t exist.By the time Astra was able to get me out of there, Kal-El was already an adult.It hurt that he walked away when I’d been so ready to give up everything for him.When I _had_ given up everything for him.”

“I love you.”Alex whispers, “And I love that you’re actually talking to me now.I didn’t even have to bribe you with food to get that out of you.”

Laughing, Kara pushes up onto her arms, not missing the way Alex’s eyes drop to her biceps.She may or may not have flexed a little more than was necessary.

“Speaking of food, I got ingredients for chicken.”

“No you didn’t; you just bought a rotisserie chicken.I saw it in the bag.”

“Semantics.”Kara says, waving away the concern.“One for me, one for you?”

“I cannot eat an entire chicken by myself, but I’ll take a piece.While we’re eating can you tell me more about Krypton?”

“It’s mostly depressing.”Kara admits.“Are you sure you want to know?It’s not even as cool as the books you like.”

“I wanna know everything about you.Anything you’re willing to share.I love you, Kara.I’d take you over books any day.”

This time, Kara’s the one who kisses Alex.

“I’ll tell you whatever you want to know. As many stories as you want.”Kara promises.

“Good.”Alex says, sliding from beneath Kara and going back to the grocery bags.There’s a blush to her cheeks and a slightly self-conscious fidget happening that Kara doesn’t quite get.“How _do_ I “approach” you?Or whatever the right word is.I’m imagining it’s something a lot more romantic and serious than just “please be my girlfriend”, right?”

Glancing over her shoulder, it’s clear that Alex is wholly unexpecting Kara to already be pressed against her back, arms wrapping around Alex’s waist and nose nuzzling along the nape of her neck.Five years ago, Kara had woken up to a world where she had lost everything and somehow, someway in that same timespan, Rao had gifted her a little of it back.She had the ability to create a new world, with Alex as her Sun and her stars.Putting up with humans and their terrible smells and primordial behaviors seemed a small price to pay for what she was getting.

_“Rrip nim mi :zhao sokao-?”_ She says in answer to Alex’s question, hiding her grin and her tears in Alex’s neck when Alex—perfect, eccentric, intelligent Alex—grips her arms and repeats the words near perfectly.

“Zhi.”Kara mumbles through a clogged throat.Alex spins in her arms and pulls her into a proper hug, even as Kara continues to mumble platitudes. “Osh rrip zhindif zhi.”

**Author's Note:**

> At the end Kara says, "Will you please be my love?" and then "yes; for you always yes."
> 
> Roughly. I'm shit at Kryptonian.
> 
> Also, Krypto is sentient and totally understands everything they're doing it's just writing him as a full character would have turned this into like a 30k fic and I just couldn't do that to myself.
> 
> Um... Winn and Kara definitely met in an online college class and bonded over being complete nerds and the only teenagers in class. Winn then went on to help Kara produce (is it produce) her graphic novels and created a website for her and everything. BFF goals.
> 
> Alex and Vicki were just fooling around, they weren't dating. When Vicki asked Alex to prom she declined because...movie night only Kara didn't stick around to hear that part... 
> 
> I think that's it for the loose ends?
> 
> … how'd I do?


End file.
